Bad days are going to happen. It’s just a fact of life. What happens when the bad day strikes, however, is up to each of us. We have a choice to make: we can settle for the negative energy the bad day wants to give us… or we can choose to be happy. That’s right – happiness is a choice we can make even on our worst days.

How can you turn around any bad day to make it better? Here are some easy ways to make it happen.

1. Find the Source

Something has to be causing your bad day. Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep last night for some reason. The morning commute might have caused a tension headache. There’s a deadline looming and you need to fit 8 hours of work into a 4 hour window and you don’t know how you’ll do it. When you can find the source of what is causing your bad day, you’ll be able to start working on turning things around.

2. Find Gratefulness

The problem we all tend to have with genuine gratefulness is that it requires a certain level of humbleness. There must be a willingness to acknowledge that there are other people in this world that are having days worse than the one you’ve got going on. If you’re getting 3 square meals per day, have a warm home at night, a loving family, money in the bank, a job you love, or the chance to watch your favorite movie tonight with your favorite ice cream – well, you’ve got something that others don’t have. Choose to be content and a bad day will have less power over you.

3. Create a Plan

Once you’ve made the choice to not let the negative energy of a bad day get to you, then it is time to take action. Create a plan that will take you through the steps you’ll need to follow to overcome that energy. Choose a healthy snack over a candy bar. Take a different route home. Ask for an extra hour at lunch to take a walk through a local park. When you can embrace positive energy, the negative energy doesn’t stand a chance.

4. Find Solutions

Now that you’ve got a plan in place, it is time to take control. Find solutions that will help you continue to overcome the negative energy from the bad day. Place yourself into situations where you know a positive outcome will occur. Take time to focus on your breathing. Instant message a friend and talk about the good memories the two of you have shared. Remember: the bad day only stays in control because you allow it to be in control.

5. Be Realistic

A bad day gets worse if you try to choose happiness and fail in your efforts. Be realistic about what you can do. Your boss probably isn’t going to let you take a 3-week trip to Tahiti with a moment’s notice. You probably won’t be winning millions of dollars in the lottery today. What you can do is pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and take a successful step forward toward happiness in a way that works for you.

The most important thing we can do is learn from the experiences our bad days provide us. This knowledge can help us to prevent future bad days from getting their negative claws into us. Choose happiness, make it happen, and you’ll be able to turn around any bad day.

It’s been said that we “are what we eat,” but it may be more accurate to say that we are “what we think.” Having the right mindset can lead people to incredible levels of success. The same could be said in the opposite for a negative mindset. Unfortunately some of our most common habits are also the things that hold us back from success. Are these bad habits part of your life?

#1. Expecting Perfection

Humanity is fallible. Not a single person is perfect. We can strive for perfection and sometimes achieve it, but we aren’t 100% perfect. No one is. Mistakes happen and they help us to learn how we can be better. Expecting more than anyone could ever provide ultimately leads to negativity. At the end of the day, if you’ve given your all, you’ve done what you can.

#2. Say No

Far too often we feel obligated to say “yes” when we really want to say “no.” We don’t want to let others down. We want to feel like we’re included. We want to leave a lasting legacy. Pleasing others for short-term gains only helps the people being helped. Just say “no” when you don’t feel up to a project and don’t feel guilty about it. More importantly – don’t let others make you feel guilty about it. Take a stand for yourself.

#3. Eliminate the Negative Self-Talk

When we have hindsight, it’s easy to second-guess the decisions we’ve made in the heat of the moment. Instead of replaying incidents over and over again, be forgiving of yourself. Speak of the positive things you did accomplish, even when a mistake was made at the end of the day. We are often our own worst critic. Success stays away with too much criticism.

#4. Think About Tomorrow

The daily grind can be overwhelming sometimes. It seems like we’ll never get out of the routine we’ve got and eventually we just burn out. It doesn’t have to be this way if you’re willing to set future goals and then navigate towards them. Now is important, but where you’ll be 15 years from now is also important. Ignoring your goals to focus on today will never find long-term success.

#5. You’re Not an Island

People can be difficult sometimes. They’re judgmental. They create drama. They talk non-stop and don’t let you get your work done. People are also essential for success. We can’t do everything on our own. We need a support system in place to help us take advantage of what strengths others bring to the table.

Most importantly, you are your own person. You bring your own talents and experiences to every project. You cannot compare yourself to anyone else because of this uniqueness. Focus on your strengths, let the past stay in the past, and be open and honest in all things. When you can eliminate these bad habits that prevent success, you might just find happiness lurking around the next corner.